Tim Blair

Tim Blair
–,
Saturday,
November,
24,
2012,(12:14pm)

South Africa’s world champion bowlers can’t figure out how to dismiss Australian captain Michael Clarke for less than 200 runs. Perhaps they should ask a foremost authority on the subject – North Sydney allrounder Scott Rodgie.

Rodgie, captain of the North Sydney Bears in Sydney’s grade competition, achieved the near-impossible last month by removing Clarke caught and bowled for just 38.

The Australian captain was making a rare grade appearance for Western Suburbs when Rodgie’s medium pace wizardry brought him down. Remarkably, Clarke has since scored 451 more runs for one dismissal against South Africa than he managed against Rodgie and the rest of his elite North Sydney bowling attack.

“I just sort of bowled it up and he hit it back at me,” Rodgie said yesterday. “He hit it pretty well, to be truthful. And I put my right hand out and it stuck.”

Modest Rodgie points out that Clarke was attempting some big shots when the moment came. “There was a bit of luck involved.”

Lucky or not, 25-year-old Rodgie is now tormenting the Proteas and their captain Graeme Smith on Twitter. “If only I was South African,” he wrote following Clarke’s latest double century. “Smithy give me a call. I know M. Clarke’s weakness.”

He ended the tweet with a gently teasing: “statsdontlie”.

Impressively, North Sydney also managed to restrict Clarke’s usually high scoring rate. His 38 against the Bears came in a glacial 74 balls – a pace significantly below the 31-year-old’s career Test strike rate.

By comparison, against South Africa in Adelaide on Thursday Clarke tore a freewheeling 65 runs from the first 74 deliveries he faced. South Africa’s Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Rory Kleinveldt evidently lack the bowling firepower of North Sydney’s Rodgie, Nic Bills, James Campbell and Glenn Aitken.

“There’s been a fair bit of chat about it,” said Rodgie of his Clarke wicket, which came in only his second match as captain for the mid-table Bears.

In another claim to fame for Rodgie, he achieved what no Test bowler has ever managed against Clarke. In 140 Test innings over eight years, Clarke has never once been dismissed for 38.